Monday, October 17, 2016

A 69 Year Old Man Presents With Weakness In His Left Arm



A 69 year old man comes to your clinic with presenting complain of weakness in his left arm. His vitals are:
Temp: 98.6 F
BP: 160/100 mmHg
HR: 80/min
RR: 20/min

Q 1. List the points you would like to ask in clinical history? 

Answer: In this ask ask about:


  • onset of the weakness.
  • Course and intensity since the onset. ( either getting better, worse or no change) 
  • Associated symptoms ( weakness else where in the body, difficulty swallowing etc)
  • Previous episode of similar weakness
  • Review of symptoms should include any H/O chest pain, headache, nausea. vomiting, palpitations, blackouts, syncope, dizziness. 
  • Past history of any medical illness  (Ask if already diagnosed with High BP) 
  • H/o any allergies and surgeries in the past. 
  • H/o smoking and alcohol intake. 
  • What medicines he is taking (prescription and over the counter) 
Q 2. Write down the list of examination you would perform on this patient ? 

Answer: Look and examine the:
  • Pupils
  • Visual fields.
  • Auscultate the lungs
  • Auscultate the heart and listen for any murmurs or irregular heart beat. 
  • Check the mental status of the patient and see if he is oriented .
  • Check the cranial nerves ( specifically the 7th CN and look for any facial weakness)
  • Deep tendon reflexes in all four limbs and compare the weak arm with the normal side. 
  • Sensory system in all four limbs. 
  • Ask the patient to walk and check the gait.
Q 3. With a patient presenting with left arm weakness what would you suspect? 

Answer: Left arm weakness can have many causes. It may include: 
  • Stroke a common reason in a older patient with high BP as in this case. 
  • Transient ischemic attack
  • Lesion to the spinal cord or peripheral nerves
  • Musculoskeletal problems.
  • Decreased blood flow to the affected arm 
Q 4. What diagnostic tests would you order in this patient?

Answer:
  • Head CT scan (non contrast)
  • CBC
  • BUN and creatinine
  •  Blood Glucose
  • ECG
  • Chest X ray 

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